Missing
by Jessie611
Summary: After ten months being held hostage Chloe escapes only to find that CTU no longer exists and her former colleagues are nowhere to be found.
1. Chapter 1

Chloe was lying low behind the external stairwell of the building. She knew they were looking for her; after all she had disappeared less than thirty minutes before. They had to think she was still nearby.

She shifted her position a little as she felt the tension in her legs and lower back. Her body ached from the time she spent shackled in the same position for hours on end, not to mention the beatings that had almost been a daily occurrence. She supposed she should be grateful that they hadn't killed her; although she was sure they would if they found her. She was relying on the two men thinking she had gone further and hoped they would leave to look for her. She had been planning her escape for the past two weeks, once she'd identified a logical pattern to their movements it had been easy to calculate the best time to make a run for it.

There were normally more men watching her but every few weeks she would be left with just two of them and today she'd hit the jackpot with the two remaining; they were the brainless ones, she thought with a smile. She had known that today would come eventually but it had been a long wait. A ten month wait to be exact. There had been many times when she had thought she'd never escape and others where she believed she'd be rescued. But after the first few weeks she realised she was on her own. Not that being alone worried her too much; she'd been used to it.

Eventually she'd realised she needed to learn to play them if she ever wanted to get away. At first they'd wanted her for her connections and her knowledge. They were a bunch of idiots really but they traded in information and had seen her as a valuable resource. Their plan had been to sell what she gave them to the highest bidder. She knew that she'd been lucky they weren't working for anyone specifically. This way she'd been able to stall them by convincing them that a more lucrative pastime was for her to break into various financial databases. She transferred funds into untraceable accounts around the world and over the months had transferred millions of dollars. She'd known that her time was nearly up though; only yesterday she'd heard one of them saying that they should disband over the next few weeks, go their separate ways and begin to reap the benefits of their captive's computer skills. She'd known once that happened she'd be dead.

She heard footsteps and laboured breathing as they ran around looking for her. Eventually she heard both pairs of feet running to their car then driving away. Relief washed over her as she realised this was her opportunity.

Chloe emerged from her hiding place and went back into the building to retrieve the cell phone she knew was kept there. She was quick, feeling nervous they would return and catch her. She pulled a sweater from the back of a chair and put it on, it smelt of damp and cigarette smoke; she screwed her face up at the smell but realised it would keep her warm if she needed to trek through the woods.

She knew she had no cell signal where she was so realised she would have to walk before she'd be able to call for help. It was pitch dark but she had already worked out the direction she needed to travel. She just hoped that it wouldn't be too long before someone could come and get her; she wasn't keen on walking around such an isolated area alone during the night.

She'd been walking for almost three hours when she noticed a faint signal on the cell, relief washed over her when she realised it wouldn't be long now. She was walking through a clearing in the trees when she saw that the signal was getting stronger. A feint smile tugged at her lips as she dialled the only number she could think of; CTU Los Angeles.

She waited impatiently as she realised there was a delay in the connection, scowling to herself, then hearing the frustrating sound of an automated recording her face indicated her confusion.

Chloe's heart sank as the voice informed her that the number was disconnected. How could the offices of a government building be unobtainable? It didn't make any sense. Chloe tried to figure out what had happened. They'd been working on a major political conspiracy right before she'd been taken. If CTU had been shut down it wouldn't have been the first time that a government building had been taken out of action to cover up political wrongdoing.

Chloe sat for a while, closing her eyes against the despair and frustration she felt. She didn't easily trust people and now she didn't know who she should call. Most people escaping a hostage situation would call the police but Chloe knew from experience that government agents rarely contacted other law enforcement agencies. Always at the back of your mind was the thought that other agencies could house the people working against you.

Chloe recalled the cell numbers of everyone she trusted, which actually wasn't difficult. She tried Chase, Morris and Curtis but all the numbers were disconnected. The last person she wanted to call was Jack. Not that she didn't trust him, in actual fact she trusted him more than anyone. She didn't want to call him because the last time she'd called him for help he had ended the day on a ship to China, suffering months of torture and hell. Chloe was still reeling with guilt from that day and she didn't want to be responsible for getting him involved in this. The last time she had seen him he had been pretty broken, both physically and mentally. No, she thought; she couldn't call him, he deserved some peace.

Decision made, Chloe continued walking, deciding that she probably would be better off doing this on her own.


	2. Chapter 2

Her first stop was Morris' apartment. She took a cab part way there, walking the rest of the way in the hope that she'd be less noticeable. She stood looking at his building, trying to figure out whether this was a good idea or not. But, deciding to take the bull by the horns she pressed the buzzer and waited for a response.

Chloe was surprised to hear a woman's voice. "Um, I'm looking for Morris O'Brian" Chloe said awkwardly.

There was a long pause during which Chloe wondered if this woman was Morris' girlfriend or something. Eventually the woman asked Chloe to hold on, then the door was opening; Chloe walked into the building and waited by Morris' apartment door. When it opened a woman she didn't recognise was standing there, looking even more uncomfortable than Chloe.

Chloe was invited into the apartment. She looked around and noticed that everything had changed. She looked at the woman in confusion, Chloe realising that the changes were more than just a woman's touch; she realised that Morris no longer lived there.

The woman noticed Chloe's confusion and, rather than waste time with more preamble she obviously decided to get straight to the point. "I'm sorry, my husband and I moved in eight months ago. The man who lived here before us; Morris O'Brian, well, …he was killed ten months ago. I'm sorry I know this must be a shock".

Chloe could feel herself paling and realised the woman was concerned as she guided Chloe into the nearest chair. "I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have blurted it out like that, it's just I didn't know how to say it any other way."

Chloe looked up at the woman and, trying to control her emotions she asked "do you know how he died?"

"I believe it was some sort of an explosion in a government building where he worked. I think other people lost their lives." At the expression of horror on Chloe's face the woman groaned at her own insensitivity.

"I'm sorry" she said, patting Chloe's arm awkwardly. "Did you know him well?"

Chloe shuddered at the thoughts going through her mind. "Yes, I used to be married to him and I used to work at the government building you are talking about."

The woman's face creased in sympathy and she asked if she could call someone for her. But Chloe told her there was no-one and, as she left the apartment she realised that it was probably true – there was no-one; now Chloe understood why she hadn't been able to contact anyone. They were probably all dead.

Chloe walked aimlessly for a while, not really sure what to do next. She felt herself begin to lose it at one point but quickly realised she didn't have the luxury of self pity. She needed to find out if anyone was alive. Deciding that the best way to find out this sort of information without alerting anyone to the fact she was looking was to go to the cemetery where most agents who lost their lives in the line of duty were buried. Acknowledging that some of those who died may be buried in private cemeteries, she still thought it was worth a try. Feeling better now she had something to do, she hailed a cab.

A half an hour later Chloe was walking through the rows of grave stones in the cemetery, looking for the most recent additions. Eventually she found a row of what looked to be fairly new head stones. As she walked along the row she felt anxious at what she might find. She didn't want to think about the possibility that all the people she cared about might be dead.

She stopped suddenly as she reached a granite head stone with a familiar name engraved on it. Chloe felt tears sting the back of her eyes as she saw Bill Buchanon's name. She moved quickly along the row as she saw all of them; Morris, Curtis, Karen, Shari. Would it ever end? She caught herself before she broke down completely, suddenly seeing a grounds-man standing staring at her. She brushed a tear from her face as he smiled sympathetically.

"You're the second person to stand there in the last few minutes" he said softly.

Chloe, who had just turned to walk away spun back quickly. "What do you mean? Who?"

"A man" the grounds-man replied "he's over there".

Chloe followed the direction of his finger, her gaze settling on a figure hunched over a headstone a little further up, along the row just in front of her. The figure looked familiar and Chloe felt the stirring of hope deep within her.

The closer she got, the more she realised she knew this man and she knew him well. But, the grief overwhelming her clouded her vision and mind so she couldn't be sure. She noticed the familiar slope of his shoulders. Then, just as she was on top of him she realised with a jolt of her heart that it was Jack. The reason she hadn't realised it straight away was that he still hadn't moved. That wasn't the Jack she knew. The Jack she knew would have moved quickly and quietly as she approached, would have been suspicious without intending to be.

She stopped suddenly as she saw his shoulders shaking slightly; she realised he was grieving for whoever was buried in that spot. Oh god, Audrey? Please don't let it be Audrey, she thought to herself. He has been through too much to lose the woman he loved.

Not sure what to do, Chloe decided to go with her instincts and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. At the same time she gently called his name. She stopped as she felt the tension in his muscles, he froze. Chloe felt like she was intruding on a private moment and immediately regretted her action. But, she had been driven by the sight of the only familiar person she had seen in months.

He moved quickly; was on his feet and spinning around before she could react. The next thing she knew she was being held roughly by her arms. She wasn't afraid though, she was strangely comforted by his reaction.

She looked into his eyes, still red and slightly puffy from his tears of moments before. But, the thing that struck her was the shock she saw in his expression.

"Chloe?...Chloe?...I…I"

"Yeah, it's me Jack. Don't look so surprised, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that I escaped the terrorists and came back"

"The what?" he asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

"The guys who took me ten months ago Jack; did you honestly think I would just sit there and let them do what they wanted without trying to get away?"

"Chloe,…..Oh my god. Chloe"

Jack moved away so that she had a full view of the gravestone he'd been looking at. What she saw shocked her beyond words, before her she saw her own name carved into the gravestone; her date of death the exact same day she had been taken by the terrorists.

Chloe's breath caught in her throat, she thought she was trapped in some sort of parallel universe. Maybe she was dead after all and this was all some kind of denial on her part. She turned quickly seeking him out, not realising that tears were now streaming down her face. A small sob escaped her lips as she caught his eye, the same question in his expression as there was in her own.

Chloe's legs buckled but he caught her with ease, sinking to the ground and clutching her to him. For the first time in months Chloe felt safe, felt as though she could let go of the fear, the sadness and now the overwhelming grief that she'd been holding onto.

Chloe hadn't cried like this since she was a child. This time though she wasn't crying alone.


	3. Chapter 3

Chloe didn't cry for long. She saw wallowing as a luxury she could never afford, always on the alert for some threat or possible judgement against her vulnerability. Jack was still looking stunned at the sight of her, just staring blindly at her as though he couldn't believe that she was there.

But, Jack was the first one to pull himself together properly, quickly looking around the cemetery, his gaze landing suspiciously on the grounds-man who was working nearby. The man was obviously intrigued by their story but at the same time was keeping a respectful distance from the grieving couple.

Jack stood up, dragging Chloe with him.

"Come on Chloe, we've got to get out of here. There's something not right with all of this and we need to figure it out. Have you got your laptop with you?"

Chloe gave him a look that told him he was an idiot "Hardly Jack, I wasn't exactly in a position to ask the kidnappers to wait while I collected it you know."

Jack looked at her as if he couldn't understand how she could use humour at a time like this. Then he remembered it was Chloe he was with, she wasn't trying to be funny. This was just her. He allowed himself a moment to thank whatever force had chosen to bring her back to him before he was practically dragging her across the cemetery to the car.

"Where are we going?"

"We'll go to my apartment Chloe. We need to figure this out and at the moment we haven't got any leads. I need to get you to a computer so you can break into government archives and we can find something out."

As they drove Chloe relaxed back against her seat, she felt safe even though she knew she probably wasn't but that was the effect Jack had on her. She trusted him completely and she knew that whatever happened he would do the right thing.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Why was there an explosion at CTU?"

"We don't know Chloe, but pretty much everyone who was there that day was killed. Investigations didn't turn up much and, well…to be honest I haven't been in too good a shape to deal with it."

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't matter now Chloe. I'll explain it to you but at the moment we need to focus on finding out what happened. You were confirmed dead in the explosion. It wasn't as though there was any speculation about it. Somebody somewhere positively identified you as being among the casualties and that seems like a good place to start."

Chloe wondered who on earth would have done that. If she hadn't been assumed to be amongst the dead then there was a chance they might have found her. She might not have had to spend ten months in captivity.

Chloe had a sudden thought, she hadn't been able to get hold of Chase yet he wasn't buried in the cemetery. That didn't mean he wasn't dead though. She almost didn't want to ask Jack, was afraid to hear the answer.

"Where's Chase?" she asked quietly.

Jack turned slightly at the fear in her voice. "He's fine Chloe, Chase is fine. He's still in New York."

Chloe felt a slow breath leave her body as she sighed in relief. That meant that two of her friends had survived, her two closest friends.

They arrived at Jack's apartment within thirty minutes. The apartment was new; not that Chloe had been to his old apartment much but at first sight she thought she probably preferred the old one.

Jack opened the front door and stood back, letting her walk through the door before him. The first thought that struck Chloe was that this apartment was much tidier than his old one. In fact, if he wasn't standing with her she wouldn't have believed he lived here. She looked over at him and he saw the disbelief on her face.

"This is Audrey's apartment Chloe. We moved in together a few months ago."

"So she'd not dead then?" Chloe asked bluntly "Sorry, that didn't come out right."

Jack smiled "its ok Chloe. Yes, Audrey is alive. She was nowhere near at the time of the explosion."

"Where is she now?"

"She's in DC. She spends half her time there, half here. It seems to work well."

"So who exactly are you working for now Jack, I mean if CTU doesn't exist any more?"

"I'm back working with the DOD but based here as an interagency liaison. I don't do field work any more though."

"Oh" was all Chloe said.

"You want a coffee?" he asked.

"Please" she said already distracted by Audrey's computer.

When Jack came back with her coffee she was engrossed, although her frequent sighs of frustration told Jack she wasn't impressed with Audrey's choice of computer. He sat and just looked at her for a while, taking in the sight of his friend who he hadn't thought he would see again.

Eventually he spoke "Chloe?"

She didn't hear him.

"Chloe?"

She looked up to see him looking at her with an unreadable but intense expression on his face.

"I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"I'm sorry I didn't come and get you. I'm sorry I let this happen to you."

"Jack, you couldn't have known. To be honest, it wasn't so bad. The first few days were worse but then they found a use for me and things settled down."

Jack balked at her words "What do you mean they found a use for you?" he barked.

Chloe shrank back at his anger. "Don't worry I didn't tell them anything" she said, hurt that he thought she might have done.

He stopped then, blinking at her as he realised what she thought he'd meant.

"Chloe" he said, his hand on her arm. "I would never, ever think you'd tell them anything. I am just worried that they might have, well…you know." Clearly Chloe did not know, or she was deliberately making this uncomfortable for him.

"You think I might have had sex with them to keep them happy?" she asked.

"No, yes. I don't know."

Chloe was enjoying his discomfort. "Well I didn't Jack. I stole for them instead"

"You what?" he asked incredulously.

"They wanted me to give them government secrets. But I quickly realised they were being paid to do someone else's dirty work so I did the only thing I could think of. I offered them more money. I then spent the last few months doing illegal money transfers. They got millions and they were happy. I'm just trying to trace the money now" she said, focusing on the computer.

Jack looked at her in shock and full of admiration for her courage and ingenuity. "You mean..? You mean, you put a trace on the money?"

Chloe scowled at him. "Of course I did. You didn't really think I would steal all that money for them and let them get away with it. I put a worm in the computer I was using so that if I didn't access the accounts for 24 hours or more, their activities would be automatically exposed to all the banks they had accounts with. It won't be long and they'll all be arrested" she said with obvious satisfaction.

Jack laughed "Chloe, did anyone ever tell you you're a genius?"

She smiled "not often enough Jack".

Chloe wanted to take a shower before hacking into the relevant archives. Jack found some fresh towels for her and pointed her in the direction of the spare bedroom with an adjacent bathroom.

"I'll find you some clothes" he said and left her to shower.

Chloe let the warm spray pour down over her aching muscles. She was scarred and she was bruised, she felt the sting of the spray on a wound on her upper back, realising it was not quite healed. When she got out of the shower she examined her body in the mirror, cringing at the sight of her reflection.

She wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out of the bathroom, surprised to find Jack walking into the room with a pile of clothes.

"Sorry" he said, obviously uncomfortable.

"Thanks" she said and turned slightly to avoid looking at him.

The sharp intake of his breath alerted her to her mistake. If only she'd stood facing him he would never have known. But now she realised he could see the wounds on her upper back and the realisation of what she'd been through would make him feel even guiltier.

Chloe rushed to reassure him but before the words were out of her mouth he was striding towards her, his hand lifting her hair so he could inspect the wounds on display. His hands were gently but when Chloe felt him tug at the towel she moved away.

"Hey Jack, naked under here!" she said in alarm.

"Chloe, you need to let me look at them. You might need medical treatment."

"Ok, ok" she said as he approached her again. "At least let me put some underwear on and I'll let you have a look."

He sat on the bed while she moved back into the bathroom, clutching an unworn bra and underwear pack still in their wrapper. She was grateful that if she had to wear his girlfriend's underwear at least said girlfriend hadn't worn them first.

Chloe struggled to get the bra to fit, she was obviously slightly bigger busted than Audrey and she struggled to contain as much of her flesh as possible. Not that she was voluptuous by any stretch of the imagination.

When she was done she re-wrapped herself in the towel, not feeling brave enough to walk out to him in her underwear. When she emerged he stood up from the bed and guided her so she was perched on the edge. He crawled up behind her and tugged at the towel so it fell around her; his gentle fingers slowly tracing the scars on her back.

"There's one that could do with being cleaned properly Chloe but otherwise they're healing ok."

He got up and walked to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, pulling out some antiseptic and gauze. He quickly returned and efficiently cleaned the wound, choosing to leave it undressed as it was almost healed. When he was finished, he asked her if there were any others.

"There're some on my chest and abdomen, but they're pretty much healed now"

He moved around and knelt in front of her, encouraging her to let go of the towel. He gently examined her, then looked up into her eyes. Chloe was trying not to reveal that she affected by his closeness, of his ability to see right into her mind. She had learned to shrink into herself during the beatings, had almost managed to pretend they weren't happening; that they hadn't happened. But she couldn't pretend with him looking at her like that.

She flinched and looked away, but Jack drew her gaze back towards him as he pulled her close and held her for a moment. He seemed oblivious to her state of undress; he offered comfort and he offered support. For that Chloe was grateful but she was also aware this could be her emotional undoing and that was something she couldn't afford right now.

Instead, she cleared her mind. Refusing to think, she concentrated on the warmth of him then quickly regretted it. She groaned silently as she realised that by clearing her mind she only had the feel of him to focus on. And when the him in question was Jack Bauer, that was a dangerous situation to be in.


	4. Chapter 4

Chloe sat poring over the computer, attempting to access the archive files that would contain the information they needed. She wasn't having much success judging by the scowl that was permanently etched on her features.

Jack moved in to lean over her shoulder. "Any luck?" he asked.

"If luck actually came into it I'd have to say we'd never get anywhere Jack. What would help is a half decent computer." She sighed and blew her hair out of her face in frustration.

"What are you looking at now?"

"I'm just tapping into a live DOD satellite feed. I've tried the archives of the CIA, FBI and Homeland but can't get beyond their security filters. If I had a better system we'd have more of a chance" she said on a sigh.

"Chloe, don't worry about it now. Let's get some rest and we will find somewhere tomorrow where we can …….." he stopped as he saw Chloe's shoulders tense, her fingers suddenly tapping furiously on the keyboard.

"What is it?" he asked peering in closer to the screen.

"I'm not sure, it's just that the location they're tracking looks familiar", she zoomed in on the picture of an isolated area of woodland in the LA hills, trees surrounding a small clearing with a wooden building located directly in the middle.

"Oh my god" she said quietly, almost whispering.

"What are you seeing Chloe?"

"It's the place I've been calling home for the last ten months" Chloe said simply, leaning back in her seat so Jack could get a better view.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked, leaning in and looking her square in the eyes to gauge her certainty.

"Of course I'm sure Jack" she said with a scowl.

"Oh my god" he whispered, straightening "that means someone from DOD knew where you were."

Just then the phone rang and Jack froze deliberating on whether to answer or not. He decided to let the machine pick it up.

"Jack? Jack are you there?" It was Audrey.

Jack reached over and snatched up the phone. "Yeah, I'm here".

After a few moments Chloe heard him ask "why?" his voice laced with something close to suspicion.

"What are you talking about Audrey?" He shot a look in Chloe's direction then and indicated that she cut the link to the DOD server.

"Ok, when will you be here?" he asked "You want me to pick you up?"

There was a long pause while Audrey was obviously talking, Chloe then heard him saying he would see her later then he hung up the phone.

"We've got to get out of here Chloe" he said urgently.

"What did Audrey have to say?" she asked, hearing the agitation in his voice and suspecting that something Audrey said had prompted it.

"They're onto us Chloe"

"Did Audrey phone to warn you?"

"No, but there was something in her voice….I don't know. Something's wrong." He was peering out the window, checking the street to see if there was any suspicious activity.

"We need to be out of here in the next couple of minutes" he said before leaving the room.

Chloe did a quick scan of Audrey's computer, looking for any suspicious files. She knew Jack wouldn't want to think that Audrey could be involved but Chloe wanted to check out every possibility. She found two files that were encrypted and quickly set them to save to a memory stick. Just then Jack came back into the room.

"Chloe, come on. We've got to go"

"Ok" she said, not wanting to alert him to her suspicions just yet she told him she just needed a couple more seconds to secure the computer so there would be no trace of her having used it. Jack hovered by the window until she was done.

They left through the back door. "Where's your car?" she asked.

"We can't use it. We'll have to go on foot for a while then I'll think of something."

Chloe was tired and not really in the mood for running around LA. At least she wasn't alone though. Just then they heard the screech of tires and Jack pulled her into a nearby alley, he grabbed hold of her hand and they ran.

They managed to make it to the nearest subway station but Jack was constantly on guard. Chloe was breathless from running but knew her heart rate was down to fear as much as it was to exertion. She had the Department of Defence after her for god's sake; they had access to satellite surveillance that could track them anywhere in the city. Chloe felt like a rabbit caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, with nowhere to hide and no way of escape.

"Hey, it's ok" Jack said, a look of concern on his face.

Chloe realised her breathing was quickening rather than slowing down, she was beginning to feel light headed and her heart was threatening to leap out of her chest. Jack guided her into the nearest seat and, ignoring the looks from the other passengers he gently pushed her head down towards her knees.

"Take some deep breaths Chloe; you're fine; everything is going to be fine."

When the dizziness subsided Chloe lifted her eyes so they met his. Her expression was challenging.

"How can you know that Jack? How can you know that everything will be fine?"

Jack placed his hands either side of her face, gripping her tightly in an effort to make her understand what he was saying.

"You're right Chloe, I don't know that everything will be ok but I do know we're dealing with this together and that alone makes me believe that we will get to the bottom of it and find out what's going on."

Chloe had to admit to herself that he was right. They had always been a formidable team, had been able to work below the radar of government agencies even when they'd been working within them. There was no reason not to believe that they wouldn't succeed this time.

Chloe sighed and relaxed into his touch. His fingers were gently stroking her face, she closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them there were tears on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry" she said, sorrow in her expression.

"For what?" he asked in confusion.

"For dragging you into another crisis Jack; I seem to keep doing it. You just about get yourself to a place where you can be happy, have a normal life and I come along and mess it all up for you - again. I'm sorry."

Jack smiled wryly "Chloe, none of this is your fault. And if you think I could just walk away from this, from you, then you're wrong."


	5. Chapter 5

_She felt the blood flooding her mouth as her head hit the wall with a crack, her teeth puncturing her tongue with the force of the blow. She didn't know how much more of this she could take; it had been going on for days._

_He was shouting again, demanding that she reveal her access codes and information on CTU activities. But she wouldn't tell him. She'd often wondered whether she'd be able to endure torture and now she was finding out. _

_Her mind drifted in an attempt to go someplace warm and dry where the sun was beating down on her face and the crashing of the waves onto the beach was all she could hear. It was dawn, her favourite time of the day; a time where the world hadn't yet started on its never ending cycle of chaos._

_The punch to her stomach only momentarily took her from her path of denial, but her mind screamed at her to go back to the warmth and peace of that sunny day. She strained to hear the sound of the gulls then smiled weakly as the soothing sound overtook her._

_She'd spent the first few hours of her captivity waiting for someone to find her but quickly realised that wasn't going to happen. The next two days had been spent trying to figure out how to escape but any attempts she made were met with disappointment and a sense of failure. Eventually the only thing left was to withdraw into herself, to go somewhere warm and comforting. Somewhere away from the cold, damp cellar she was in. _

_The sound of the angry man started to penetrate her self created tranquillity and she desperately tried to refocus her mind so she could drift deeper. But she could feel her skin breaking out in a cold sweat as the heavily booted foot swung forward, kicking her brutally in the stomach. She could hear herself whimpering and begged silently for this to be over. _

_Her clothes had been ripped from her body and she was naked except for her underwear; that was how she'd been since she'd arrived in this hell. She had suffered taunts and humiliation from the men that had taken her. It had stopped short of any sexual wrongdoing but only because the lead captor had repeatedly drawn a line under what they could and could not do to her. For that Chloe was grateful._

_She was being pulled up by her hair, her face only inches from the bearded man who had been shouting and demanding her cooperation. She retained enough lucid thought to wonder how Jack had survived this and worse during his eighteen months in captivity in China; the shocking blow to the side of her face brought her back to the present. Her final thought before she lost consciousness was that at least she wouldn't have to suffer it for that long; she didn't think she would survive for much longer. _

00000

She woke to the soothing coolness of a washcloth on her forehead, jumping suddenly as she saw the shadowy figure crouching next to the bed.

"Chloe its Jack, you're safe; you were dreaming".

Chloe struggled against him for a moment before collapsing back on the bed as she moved from the dream into reality. She remembered that they had booked into a motel in north Hollywood, were hiding out until morning when they would meet her friend Andrew to again attempt to hack into government files.

She closed her eyes against the softness of his touch and the comfort of his voice. Eventually she had collected herself enough to find her voice.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"It's a little after five" he said with a small smile as his fingers continued to calm her as they stroked her hair softly.

Chloe groaned. "Did I wake you?" she asked, her eyes searching his for a sign of what he had seen, what he had heard of her dream.

"I wasn't really sleeping" he said then moved to refresh the wash cloth he'd lain on her skin.

He returned a moment later and sat next to her on the edge of the bed, once again drawing the cloth against her.

Chloe smiled. "You're good at this Jack, maybe you should have chosen nursing or some sort of therapy as a profession."

Jack laughed, then pulled himself up on the bed next to her so that they were side by side, her head resting against his shoulder. His hand rested against her arm and his face turned serious.

"Chloe, I know this is difficult for you but can you tell me anything about what happened to you? There may be a clue to who's behind this."

Chloe took in a shuddering breath; she'd been waiting for him to ask that question, had appreciated his hesitation until she felt ready but at the same time she knew that there may be something in what she told him that would help.

So she told him how she'd come to be taken, how she'd received the information about a possible link to Logan; a corrupt link in the new chain of command. She'd been ordered by Bill to go and investigate a source at a private address downtown, but when she'd arrived she and the agents accompanying her had been ambushed by a group of men who had killed the agents and knocked her unconscious. When she'd regained consciousness she was already at their location in the hills. Chloe had no idea where the information had come from that led them to the address where the ambush had occurred, she had just been following orders from Bill.

"It's ok, there have to be records somewhere, even if they've been erased there will be something if we look hard enough. Before you showed up there was unlikely to be anyone looking for them, that's why no-one has found anything so far."

Chloe got up off the bed and went into the bathroom, returning a few minutes later to find that Jack had not moved from his position on her bed. She hesitated for a moment the settled back beside him.

She watched him out the corner of her eye, contemplating whether to tell him what was on her mind.

"What is it Chloe?" he asked softly.

"How did you get over what happened to you in China?" she asked frankly.

He hesitated before answering, eventually realising that his honesty would help her to deal with her own demons.

"I don't think that I have gotten over it. But, I've learned to live with it. I've had the support of my friends and the people I care about, but at the end of the day when you go through something like that no-one really knows what it's like. When I first started working for the government I was given strategies to help in situations of torture, things like visualising places that bring comfort. I guess as an analyst though you would never have been taught any of that."

"I didn't need to be taught that Jack, I've been doing it most of my life". She frowned as soon as the words left her mouth; she'd had no intention of revealing that much of herself to him but as often happened she spoke before she'd properly thought through what she was saying.

Jack looked at her sympathetically, seeing her discomfort for what it was and understanding her reservations about giving too much of herself away.

"Chloe, you are an amazing person you know. I don't know anyone else who would have coped with what you did so well. I guess there's something to be said for being able to disconnect from what's going on around you on certain levels, it's something we both do well in one capacity or another."

Chloe smiled to herself as she saw that he'd managed to capture one of the main elements of their friendship, one of the commonalities that drew them to each other.

"Jack, when you said that you hadn't been in good shape the last few months what did you mean? Were you hurt in the explosion?"

He moved off the bed then and went to the window pulling back the blind a little to reveal the sunrise. He didn't speak and Chloe wondered if she'd gotten too inquisitive. She was used to people being uncomfortable around her and that was what she was picking up on now.

Eventually he turned towards her and, running his hands through her hair he gave her a look that was clouded with uncertainty for a moment before he spoke.

"I couldn't deal with the destruction any more Chloe. Couldn't really see the point of it all; people who'd fought to save their country, who'd fought for justice were either dead or had been profoundly affected to the point where they couldn't function on certain levels. And, well I guess I felt guilty that I hadn't been there that day that I hadn't been able to do anything. Most of all though, I was grieving again for people I'd cared about deeply."

Chloe nodded in understanding, thinking that Jack had developed close friendships with those that had died, particularly Curtis and Bill. She thought back to the afternoon before when she'd found him in the cemetery. He'd looked like a man who was crushed under the weight of grief; she recalled how his grief had caused her to question whether he'd lost Audrey.

Her mind wandered to when she was standing next to him at the grave side and she felt a sudden jolt of realisation. Jack had been grieving for _her_, she'd thought he'd been grieving for the woman he loved, but he'd been crying at her grave side. She'd always known that he cared about her, that he saw her as a good friend but she couldn't understand what had prompted such a profound reaction. Not wanting to dwell on it she excused herself and went into the bathroom to shower and dress for what she thought would be another long day.

00000

When Chloe had returned from her shower, she heard Jack's voice just before she saw that he was talking on the phone.

"Dammit Audrey, that is not true and you know it. She could no more do that to the people she worked with than I could" he stopped talking briefly when he saw Chloe standing with him in the room.

"Audrey, I've got to go. Please, just try and hold them off for a while longer while we try and get to the bottom of this…..Ok, bye". He snapped the phone shut and Chloe detected a hint of barely controlled anger in him.

"What was that about?" she asked.

He attempted a reassuring smile "Nothing, I'm just trying to figure out a way of holding the authorities off a while so we can uncover some of the evidence."

Chloe knew he was holding something back but supposed he would tell her in his own time if he thought she needed to know.

00000

They were on their way to the corporate offices that Chloe's friend Andrew now owned. It was still early and they hoped to be in and out before any of the staff arrived. Andrew had taken some persuading to help them; he had recovered from his injuries of a few years before but still had some of the emotional scars. Chloe was aware that he'd probably only agreed to help because of the shock of finding out she was alive. Now he'd agreed though, she knew he wouldn't let her down.

Chloe felt lighter than she had done in the past twenty four hours. Chase was on his way. Jack had told her they may have to find somewhere for her to hide out if things got too hot, he didn't want her working on uncovering the information if the people responsible were getting too close. Having Chase with them meant that one of them could be with her to keep her safe and they had a better chance of creating a diversion if necessary.

Chloe relaxed against the seat in the back of the cab and closed her eyes, thinking that very soon this would all be over. She knew that the three of them working together would find a way to get to the bottom of who was responsible and eventually she would get some peace.

She opened her eyes as she felt Jack's hand enclose her own but when she looked at him he was staring off into the distance. At the gently pressure of her fingers he turned towards her, a soft smile on his face replacing the worried expression that had been there before. The smile didn't stop Chloe from sensing his concern and she felt her own heart jolt at the enormity of what could go wrong.


	6. Chapter 6

Jack and Chloe arrived at Paige headquarters just before 7 A.M. Andrew greeted Chloe warmly, obviously pleased to see that she was alive and well. Chloe settled in front of the computer Andrew had set up for her, having enhanced the security features to make it impossible for her hacking to be traced back to his corporation. Meanwhile Jack viewed the security monitors, on the look out for anyone else in the building. Andrew had assured them that no-one else would be in before 8.

Chloe managed to hack into the Division mainframe and was scanning the files for any records relating to the day of the explosion. She found the file that held the autopsy reports for all those that died, except for her own. There was an encrypted file attached to the rest so she set a number of programs in an attempt to decipher it. Meanwhile she took the memory stick she had kept hidden from Jack and set the same programmes in an attempt decrypt the files she had stored there.

"You got anything?" His voice coming from directly behind her made her jump a little.

"I've got the autopsy reports for everybody except me. There is one that's encrypted though, I'm working on it."

Chloe was engrossed in what she was doing so, the next she knew something was wrong was when she heard Jack's "Dammit!" She turned quickly only to see that there was a couple attempting to access the building from the front.

Andrew quickly moved to the monitor, stating that although he didn't recognise the couple, it was possible they were there for legitimate reasons. Still suspicious though Jack told Chloe to stay where she was while he and Andrew went to investigate.

Chloe shrugged and continued scanning the files, in no way concerned. After a few minutes the file she was working on opened to reveal the autopsy report that she'd been looking for. Her own features stared back at her with the word 'deceased' emblazoned across them. Chloe frowned for a moment before continuing, scrolling down the page looking for a clue as to why she had been declared dead.

Chloe managed to establish that she had 'died' from massive internal injuries but that her body had been identified visually by a work colleague. She scrolled down further then stopped suddenly as shock engulfed her. The name of the work colleague was Jack Bauer.

Just then she heard someone entering the room and, assuming that it was Jack she turned quickly, about to tell him of her discovery. But the words died on her lips as she saw Audrey standing before her, a gun aimed in her direction.

"What are you doing? Where's Jack?" Chloe asked, wondering why the hell Audrey had shown up and why she was pointing a gun at her.

"Don't. Move" Audrey ordered just as Chloe was about to get up from her chair.

"Where's Jack?" Chloe asked.

"I'm sure he'll be here in a minute Chloe, he's just dealing with the diversion I created so I could get in here" Audrey said, her voice calm and the hand holding the gun steady.

"What are you doing here?" Chloe asked, clearly confused.

"You killed your colleagues and now you're trying to get Jack involved so you can frame him. Jack may be gullible but I'm not Chloe, I know what you're up to".

Chloe scowled in confusion. "You're not making any sense Audrey, I didn't even know about the explosion at CTU until yesterday and there's something strange going on here. Someone has created a fake autopsy report stating that Jack identified my body but I know that it wasn't him, I don't understand what's going on but whatever you're thinking you're wrong. Someone is trying to make it look like I'm dead or at least make it look like Jack set it up that I was dead." Chloe frowned as Audrey approached the monitor to see what she was talking about.

Audrey looked surprised but she still didn't take the gun off Chloe. Chloe could see a moment's confusion marring Audrey's features then a small smile of satisfaction hovered over her mouth. She turned back to face Chloe.

"You mean you set it up. You're trying to make it look like Jack was involved in this so you could frame him then walk away with the money. You act like you'd do anything for him but in reality you've just been waiting for your opportunity to set this up."

"Audrey, what the hell is going on?" Chloe sagged in relief as she saw Jack walk into the room, his gun drawn but not aimed.

Audrey turned quickly towards him; her face also etched in relief at the sight of him but, alongside her relief was a determination that made Chloe nervous.

"Jack, you have to listen to me. I have evidence that Chloe planted the bomb, that she tricked us into thinking she was dead so she could implement her plan to steal millions of dollars from world banks."

Jack blinked, then sighed before walking towards Audrey. "Audrey, I told you Chloe wouldn't do that."

Chloe scowled then looked sharply at him. "What do you mean you told her? . . . . "

"Chloe, please" Jack pleaded for her to be calm. "Audrey told me about her concerns but I told her she was wrong . . . I . . . ."

"And you didn't think to tell me?" she asked, her face mirroring her disappointment.

Jack hesitated a moment before saying "Of course I thought about it Chloe, but you'd been through so much I wanted to protect you from . . . . . "

"Jack!" Audrey was growing impatient "you have to trust me on this. I know you don't want to believe that Chloe is capable of any of this but look . . . . ." she walked towards the monitor and pointed to the autopsy report on the screen.

Jack flinched when he saw his own name as the person who'd identified Chloe's body. He looked at Chloe, his concern growing.

"Chloe, I didn't . . . . ."

But Chloe didn't let him say any more, she gently placed her hand on his arm. "I know Jack . . . . "

"Oh for god's sake, this is ridiculous. Both of you are so short sighted to each others faults that you can't see what's in front of you". Audrey continued on her path to try and convince him she was right about Chloe.

"Jack, she's set this up to frame you. She obviously found out that one of the men she was working with set the worm for the money to be traced so she's fabricated this story to get herself out of being on the run with no means of support."

Jack hesitated for a moment, first looking at Chloe then Audrey. He sensed that Audrey wasn't going to back down; she still hadn't taken the gun off Chloe.

"Ok Audrey, let's say I agree that this looks suspicious. How about we agree to turn Chloe over to the relevant authorities while we . . . ."

"What?" Chloe exclaimed, now standing despite the gun still pointing at her. Jack moved quickly to stand between her and Audrey.

"Chloe, its ok" he said, his tone conciliatory.

"But . . . "

"Chloe!" he said, more harshly than he would normally speak to her.

Chloe was silenced by his tone and Jack stood looking at Audrey.

"Audrey? . . . . Let's try and work this out. We'll speak to your father and find a way to deal with this without anyone getting hurt."

Audrey's hand started to tremble and Jack took this as a sign to move closer to her. "I don't want to hurt her Jack; I just don't want her to hurt you, to hurt us. But she has to pay for what she's done."

"I know Audrey, if Chloe has done what you say she has then she will pay" he ignored Chloe's sharp intake of breath.

Chloe could see Audrey visibly relax and she knew that Jack was winning her over, but the injustice of it all was too much for Chloe.

"I'm not listening to anymore of this Jack, why don't I just get out of here? I'll leave the both of you to it, I'll just disappear . . . ."

As Chloe moved, so did Audrey but Jack was quicker than both of them. He had the gun out of Audrey's grasp and was holding her gently as his arm across her throat ensured a temporary loss of consciousness. He lowered her to the ground while he cradled her in his arms.

Chloe was stunned and the devastated expression on Jack's face tugged at her emotions. Realisation hit her that while she was beginning to panic that Jack was having doubts about her, he was actually trying to talk Audrey down so that he could disarm her. But Chloe had ruined that. Her normal processes weren't functioning normally at all and she'd actually believed for a moment that Jack had meant it when he talked about turning her over to the authorities.

"Oh god, Jack! I'm sorry, I didn't mean . . . I shouldn't have, I mean I should have known what you were doing. I'm sorry."

Jack looked at her crestfallen expression. "Chloe it's ok. I don't blame you, this situation is getting out of hand and you've been through so much already. It's ok, really."

He stood up and once he'd ensured that Audrey was safe in her position on the floor he moved towards Chloe. "Hey" he said at the sight of the unshed tears now in her eyes "its fine. Audrey's fine, and when she wakes up she'll probably realise that she's made a mistake, that you couldn't have done those things."

"But I don't understand why she would think I'd done them in the first place" Chloe said softly, her voice wavering.

"I don't think she does believe it, not really. She's been through a lot in the last few months and things have been a little tense between us. I haven't been in the best shape lately and I think you coming back like this on top of whatever evidence she's talking about was probably enough to make her think she was doing the right thing. I guess if she thinks my loyalties are lying with you then this was the only way she could think to deal with it and protect me at the same time. I can't blame her for that."

"No, I guess not" Chloe said with a frown. "I'm sorry you had to do that to her though, I mean it's not going to be good for your relationship . . . . . ." Chloe paused when she realised what she'd said "sorry, that was the wrong thing to say wasn't it?" she said, rolling her eyes.

"Chloe, its fine"

"What are we going to do now?"

"We need to get out of here; I don't think it will be a good idea for you to still be here when Audrey comes around". Jack growled in frustration as he realised he couldn't go with Chloe and leave Audrey unconscious on the floor.

Chloe understood his dilemma. "Jack, it's ok. You stay with Audrey; I can get away and find somewhere to lay low for a while".

"I don't want you to be on your own Chloe."

"I know but I've survived worse situations, I'll be fine."

Jack dragged his fingers through his hair, the expression on his face mirroring his confusion. Just then the ringing of his phone snapped him out of his thoughts although he looked suspiciously at the phone before moving to answer it.

Chloe saw the expression on his face turn to one of relief. "Thank god! You'll never know how happy I am that you're showing up now."

Chloe looked at him questioningly and Jack gave her a reassuring smile before continuing with the conversation.

"Ok, we'll see you downstairs in about five minutes" Jack said before shutting the phone.

"Chase?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, he's here, he'll meet us downstairs in a few minutes."

Chloe's shoulders sagged in relief, although she had been prepared to go it alone, she hadn't really wanted to and, if she couldn't be with Jack, the next person she'd feel the safest with would be Chase. Just then Andrew walked in, carrying a laptop bag over his shoulder; he stopped in his tracks as he saw Audrey lying unconscious on the floor.

"Who the hell is that? And what happened?" he asked Chloe.

"Jack's girlfriend" she responded with a frown.

"What did you do to her?" Andrew asked Chloe.

She rolled her eyes "what makes you think it was me?" she asked with a frown.

Andrew gave her a considered look, then decided it was probably safer not to ask any more questions.

"Don't tell me anymore, I don't want to know" he said, passing her the bag. "Here, I've got you my latest model; it should do everything you want remotely. I've also put a scrambled cell and a couple of other things you might need in there." He turned and passed a second cell phone to Jack.

Jack thanked him and, telling him he was getting Chloe out of there he asked if Andrew would stay with Audrey for a few minutes until he got back. Andrew frowned at Jack in concern.

"What do I do if she comes round? And where the hell are you sending Chloe? You can't just send her out there on her own."

Anger crossed Jack's features as he turned towards Andrew "You don't need to tell me that. She won't be alone; a friend of ours is meeting her."

With that, Jack ushered Chloe out of the room and towards the elevator. As they stood waiting Chloe turned towards him "Don't be hard on Andrew Jack, this is difficult for him after what he went through."

"I know, I'm sorry" he sighed.

They took the elevator down to the third floor where they exited and headed towards a rear stairwell that led to a hidden exit where Chase was due to meet them. Jack hadn't wanted them leaving publicly now the foyer was likely to be busy with people arriving for work.

Jack opened the door and Chloe saw Chase standing waiting. She smiled suddenly and allowed herself a moment to take in his appearance before he saw them, he looked tired but he was alert as ever when he turned sharply, a gun in his hand as he heard her sharp intake of breath.

He smiled broadly when he saw her and, holstering his weapon, he moved quickly towards her and embraced her in a bear hug.

Chloe thought he would cut her breathing off, he was holding her so tightly but she let him hold her for a moment.

"Chloe!" he said, obviously happy to see her. "I'm so sorry we didn't help you. I was so shocked when Jack called and told me you were ok."

"I know" she said, reassuringly rubbing his back when she heard his voice break a little.

Eventually they parted and Chase moved to briefly hug Jack "Hey man, everything ok?"

Jack smiled briefly at him but couldn't hide the worry in his expression.

"Hey, she'll be fine with me Jack. I'll take care of her."

"You'd better Chase or I'll kill you myself." Jack said simply but echoed his words with a soft smile.

Jack turned to Chloe "I'll call you as soon as I know Audrey is ok and away from all of this."

Chloe couldn't help the worried expression she wore for a moment, the sudden realisation that they were being separated making her nervous.

"Hey, you'll be fine" he said, rubbing her arm gently.

Chloe scowled "I'm not worried about me; I've got Chase looking out for me. Who's looking out for you?"

"Don't worry about me Chloe; I'll see you soon I promise." He pulled her towards him and, burying his face in her hair for a moment he allowed them a couple of minutes of mutual comfort. Eventually he moved away but not before kissing her briefly on the mouth.

Chloe noted Chase's interest at their interaction. She scowled at him.

"C'mon Chlo', let's get out of here, I've found somewhere where we can hide out for a few hours while you do your thing with that" he said nodding towards the laptop.

Chloe took one last look at Jack who was smiling at her softly and, with a small wave she moved away, leaving him standing staring at her retreating back.

She didn't see the look of despair that crossed his features as he rested his head against the doorframe. And she had no idea that his despair had to do with the fact that he would have given anything to have Chase be with Audrey so that he could stay with Chloe.


	7. Chapter 7

"So, how're you doing Chloe?" Chase asked her as they pulled up outside of the expensive looking apartment block.

"Well, I'm alive" she said with a frown.

"I can see that and it makes me happy Chlo', but this must be pretty crazy for you"

"Pretty much the last year has been crazy Chase" she said with a roll of her eyes.

"I guess it has" he said with a smile as they walked into the building.

"So, whose apartment is this? And how do you know it's safe?" she asked him.

"It belongs to an old friend of mine Chloe, someone who is abroad for a few months and told me to use it whenever I liked. It's safe because I'm here with you and I won't let anything happen to you."

"Fair enough" she said with a small smile at his protectiveness of her. That was how Chase had always been with her and so far he'd been true to his word; nothing had happened to her whenever she'd been with him.

They reached the apartment, a sparsely furnished but expensive looking home that was obviously owned by a man. There were no feminine touches in sight, but that suited Chloe, she'd never had much time for frivolities.

00000

Jack carried Audrey into the hotel suite. She was beginning to come around as he gently laid her on the bed.

"Jack?" Audrey asked as her eyes tried to focus.

"Yeah, it's me" he said, sitting next to her on the bed and stroking her hair softly.

"Chloe . . . . . where is she?"

"She's gone Audrey."

Audrey shifted on the bed and stared at him angrily. "Why are you so short sighted when it comes to her?"

Jack sighed. "So, tell me about the evidence you have against her. Where did it come from?"

Audrey looked away for a moment; when she turned back Jack was looking at her intently, his expression openly questioning. "I . . . , I . . . found video surveillance of the compound where she was hiding out after the explosion at CTU."

Jack frowned. "Found it? Found it where?"

"It was being tracked by DoD."

"So you just came across it by accident?" Jack asked.

At her nod, Jack moved from the edge of the bed and walked to the window. "And did you ask anyone about it?"

His question was answered by silence so Jack turned and watched Audrey who was refusing to look at him. "Audrey?"

She sighed before turning towards him. "My father, I asked my father."

Jack blinked and felt a sense of dread creeping through him. "And what did he say?"

"He . . . he said that Chloe was alive and that she was a suspect in the CTU bombing. At first I didn't believe it Jack, but then he told me they had been watching her and it was clear she was in the compound willingly."

"And when did you find out about this?"

"About a week ago" she looked away from him again.

Jack felt anger threaten to overwhelm him. "Why didn't you tell me?" he growled.

Audrey flinched in the face of his anger, she closed her eyes. "I couldn't. My father didn't want you to know, he knew that you would want to find out what had happened. They wanted to keep the compound under surveillance but then Chloe staged her escape and they had to change tack."

"What do you mean change tack? What were they planning?"

"They wanted to wait it out and see what she did?"

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Dammit Audrey, don't lie to me." Jack moved quickly and pulled her towards him.

"I'm not lying, I swear." There was fear in her voice and Jack was reminded of the time a couple of years before when he had been forced to interrogate her. He let her go and again walked to the window and peered out onto the city. Deep down he knew that Audrey was telling the truth, he knew that she had just been trying to protect their relationship. But that had been the problem; he didn't want their relationship protected at the cost of his friend.

"What are you going to do?" Audrey asked in a small voice.

"I'm going to talk to your father" he said.

"Jack, you can't. They'll arrest you, besides you know that my father is loyal to this country. He wouldn't do anything to compromise what he stands for."

Jack moved back towards her. "Audrey" he said pleadingly "I have to do this. I have to find a way. We . . . . you and I . . . ." his words trailed off and he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

Audrey felt hot tears sting her eyes. "I know Jack" she said, "I know things won't work between us but I care about you. I don't want you getting caught up in this."

"I'm already caught up in it" he said quietly.

"Because of Chloe?"

"Yes, because of Chloe" he said simply.

Audrey sighed, knowing she couldn't compete with that. "Is there anything I can do?"

Jack hesitated. "No, just . . . please, don't tell anyone. Just lie low for a few hours until this is over. If they know where you are they will try and find out where I am hoping it will lead them to Chloe."

"Who are they?"

"That's just it, I don't know."

Jack got his things together and was just about to leave when Audrey stopped him. He stood by the door for a moment before turning to look at her.

"I'm sorry" she said, tears coursing down her face.

"It's not your fault Audrey. I know you were trying to protect me." He moved back and pulled her into his chest, holding her for a few moments and remembered the time when he thought they would be together forever. Eventually he pulled back and kissed her briefly on the lips.

"I'm sorry too" he said before walking out and closing the door behind him.

00000

Jack waited outside of Secretary Heller's home, out of sight of the secret service detail. He reached into his pocket for his cell phone and dialled Chase's number.

"Edmunds"

"Chase its Jack. Is Chloe okay?"

"She's fine Jack, just worried about you."

"I'm going to try and speak with Audrey's father, it seems that he knew where Chloe was but told Audrey she was there willingly."

"That's ridiculous Jack".

"I know that" Jack bit out angrily.

"Hey man, we're on the same side here" Chase said softly.

Jack hesitated, running his fingers through his hair and letting out a long sigh. "I know Chase, I'm sorry. It's just that I want Chloe to be okay, if anything happens to her . . . . . ."

"It won't Jack, we won't let it" Chase said before getting back to business, "what do you want us to do?"

"Just stay put until you hear from me Chase".

00000

Jack moved round to the back of the house, he'd been here many times before and knew the layout of the security detail that protected Heller. He also knew the security codes to access the house so he had no trouble getting in. The house was dark but Jack had no trouble getting around. He moved up towards the top landing and listened for sounds of activity. When he heard none he moved forward to the master bedroom.

Suddenly the bedroom door opened and he came face to face with Jim Heller.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to get here. I've been waiting for you."

Jack frowned. "Audrey?"

"No, not Audrey. But I knew she would tell you what I knew eventually. Come with me" he said, moving towards his study.

Jack was wary but the overwhelming need to know what was going on overshadowed his concerns. He followed Heller and stood by the window of the study while Heller leaned against the desk. He studied Jack for a moment before reaching to turn his computer screen on.

"Have a look at this Jack"

Jack walked over to get a closer look; the image in front of him was of the compound where Chloe had been held. Heller forwarded through a number of still shots that showed Chloe walking freely around, at times alone and at other times with her 'captors'.

"Mr Secretary, I can assure you that she wasn't there willingly".

Heller frowned "my people said you would say that."

"Who the hell are your people?" Jack asked angrily.

"We'll get to that in a minute, first I want to show you something else."

A video flashed up on the screen, dated ten months previously. It showed a group of men arriving at the compound and carrying an unconscious woman into the building. The picture was grainy but Jack knew it was Chloe. Heller forwarded the video, playing then pausing it intermittently.

Jack felt anger rise in his chest as he could clearly see them beating Chloe. The beatings went on for months, appearing to only subside a little in recent weeks. Jack wanted to kill them, he paced the room angrily.

"So, you believe that she had nothing to do with this now?" he asked eventually.

"I do Jack. I've been working on this for the past couple of weeks".

"You mean you knew she was there? And you just left her?" Jack shouted angrily.

"Jack you know how this works, we had to get to the bottom of it, had to see the bigger picture. It was the first lead we had to the CTU explosion". He sighed as he saw the despair in Jack's face "I know this is hard Jack but it was the only way. I knew if I told you it would be over, you would have gone in there and got her and blown the only lead we had."

"With all due respect Mr Secretary, you know how I work. I would not have compromised this, but yes I would have found a way to get her out of there, to make sure she was safe."

Heller nodded, "I know you would have tried Jack, but I needed to be sure. We had men watching the compound. If things had heated up we would have gone in I promise you that."

Jack sighed. "So, what is your lead?"

Heller stood and walked to the other side of the room. "It seems that this was a revenge attack Jack. Driven by patriotism towards Logan, god only knows why but it appears that this was down to pure retribution."

"Towards CTU?"

"Partly" Heller said, looking at Jack in an effort to gauge his reaction to his next words. "Mostly though it was revenge against Agent O'Brian and to get to you."

"Chloe? What the hell has Chloe ever done to anyone to deserve that?"

"I don't know Jack; I thought you might be able to shed some light on it when I give you his name".

"Who?"

"Miles Papazian"

"Oh my god" Jack said, his expression shocked. "Where is he now?"

"That's just it Jack, we don't know. There is some evidence that he may have left the country but we just don't know."

00000

Chloe paced the apartment impatiently. "Where the hell is he Chase?"

"Chloe calm down, Jack will be fine" he moved to draw the window blinds then turned back towards Chloe, "let's just try and relax, he'll call soon."

Chase didn't see the man staring up at the window or the smile that crossed his features as he realised that he would soon make Chloe O'Brian pay.


	8. Chapter 8

Chloe couldn't sleep. Even though they'd heard from Jack she was still worried about him. He'd been to see Secretary Heller and had got some new information but he'd told her he'd fill them in on developments in the morning. She supposed he was going back to Audrey to try and smooth things over between the two of them. She felt a pang of guilt at what had happened earlier that day. She hated that she always seemed to be the one who managed to get him hooked up in something that then made things difficult for him.

She heard the sound of the apartment door opening and felt hope flare in her chest. She moved to swing her legs off the bed but was stopped by the strong grip that clamped down on her wrist.

"Wait here" came the voice of the man who had been sleeping next to her.

"Chase, it's only Jack" she said in an urgent whisper.

"Let me check" he said, getting up off the bed.

He moved to the open doorway and leaned out to look across the apartment. A second later he was climbing back into bed.

"You're right, it is Jack. Go on then, maybe now I can get some proper sleep" he said, his voice drifting along with his eyes.

Chloe climbed out of bed and padded barefoot across the hall to the kitchen. Jack was making coffee and turned as she walked in.

"Hey" he said with a smile, "you okay?"

She nodded. "Where have you been?" she asked.

"Checking out a lead" he said simply.

"I've been going stir crazy, all this being cooped up in one apartment is driving me mad. It's like being captured again."

Jack stopped what he was doing and turned back towards her.

"I guess I didn't think about that in this big plan of mine did I?" he asked with a smile, "I just want you to be safe Chloe."

"I know, and I don't mean to sound ungrateful" she said, sighing and blowing her hair out of her eyes.

"You don't sound ungrateful, you just sound like Chloe" he said with a smile, reaching out and pulling her against him, his arms curling around her in a tight hug.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked in a voice muffled by his chest.

He laughed in response. "Come on" he said, tugging her into the living room where they sat on the couch.

Jack sat looking down at the floor for a moment and Chloe sat nervously beside him. Eventually he turned towards her and, taking her hand in his he stared intently at her face.

"I found out what this is about Chloe"

"You did?"

He nodded. "You remember Miles Papazian?"

Chloe scowled as she nodded. "The idiot from homeland?"

"Yes. Well, it seems that the idiot from Homeland was behind the CTU bombing"

Chloe struggled to comprehend what he was saying. In her mind Miles didn't have the guts to do something as big as that, he needed to have someone else behind him pulling his strings.

"You're thinking what I'm thinking aren't you?" Jack asked, looking at her intently; watching her expression changing along with her thought patterns.

"He wasn't working alone" Chloe said, certainty in her expression.

"Exactly" Jack said.

"You thinking Logan?" Chloe asked, a scowl on her face.

"It's certainly possible. I'm seeing him tomorrow, I tried to get over there tonight but they wouldn't let me through. I decided as long as you had Chase and me with you you'd be fine until morning" he said with a smile.

"I can look after myself you know" Chloe said with a scowl.

"Of course you can Chloe. It's just after what you've been through . . . ."

"Just remember Bauer, I only got captured and held for ten months. You got twenty. Who should be more nervous about whom here?" she asked with a frown.

Jack laughed outright. The fact that she could joke about both of their traumas was a good sign, even though Chloe wouldn't see it as joking.

"Come on lets get some sleep" he said, "Hopefully we can get this sorted out once and for all tomorrow."

He stood and pulled her up with him, his hand reaching to stroke her cheek. "I am so happy to have you back Chloe" he said simply, his tone slightly gruff.

"Me too" she said, reaching up on her toes to kiss his cheek.

As she was about to pull away Jack held onto her for a moment then reached down to return the kiss. His lips fluttered across her cheek and his hands clamped in her hair. He pulled back and looked deeply into her eyes before brushing his mouth briefly and ever so softly against hers.

Chloe felt her heart rate quicken and resisted the temptation to lean into him. As he pulled away from her he blinked as though trying to clear his muddled thoughts. For some reason she chose that moment to wonder what happened to Audrey. She nearly asked him, but decided he'd tell her if he wanted to.

"Goodnight Chloe" he said quietly.

"Goodnight" she said before moving back into the bedroom she shared with Chase.

As she settled under the covers she heard a muffled voice coming from the other side of the bed.

"Remind me to ask what's going on between the two of you in the morning".

"Nothing is going on" Chloe said, glaring at him. She settled down against the pillow, huffing loudly.

Chase chuckled so she slapped him on the arm. "Go to sleep".

She turned on her side and forced her mind to relax, within minutes she was asleep.

00000

She woke suddenly, an inexplicable weight on her chest. She panicked when she realised she couldn't breathe. Her breath came in short gasps and her heart was pounding, her hands moving to push away whatever was doing this to her. But there was nothing there. She forced herself to calm down, realising she had woken suddenly from another bad dream.

She looked at the clock to her right and saw it was only 5 a.m. Chase continued to sleep soundly beside her so she moved to get out of bed so as not to disturb him. She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. She'd just taken a sip when a sound behind her made her jump, dropping the glass which shattered at her feet.

"Shit" Jack exclaimed as he put his gun down on the counter and moved forward quickly. "Don't move, there's glass all around you" he said, looking at her bare feet.

Just then Chase came bounding out of the bedroom, weapon drawn. "Dammit, what are you two up to now?" he asked in disgust at having been woken.

"It's nothing Chase. Go back to sleep" Jack said quietly, his eyes not leaving Chloe who stood rooted to the spot.

As Chase went back to bed Jack moved forward, careful not to step on the glass himself. He reached for Chloe and lifted her up and out of the way of the shards of glass.

"Why are you awake?" he asked as he set her back on her feet at the opposite end of the kitchen.

"Just dreaming" she said simply, her hands resting on his arms, not wanting to let go yet.

Detecting her need to be close to him he kept his hands on her waist for a moment, looking intently into her eyes.

"They will get better Chloe" he said softly.

"I know" she said, screwing up her face a little.

He smiled and dropped a kiss to the top of her head before moving away to clear the glass from the floor. Chloe leaned against the door waiting for him to finish.

"I want to come with you to see Logan" Chloe said eventually.

Jack stood up slowly. "No" he said quietly, but the quiet inflection of the word left no room in Chloe's mind as to the utter determination behind it.

"Why not? I have as much right as you do to be there Jack."

"No" he growled, turning away from her and refusing to enter a discussion.

"That's it? No discussion?"

"Go back to bed Chloe"

"No. Not until you discuss this" she said, wrapping her arms around her body and staring at him defiantly.

"This is NOT a debate Chloe" Jack said, moving so his face was only inches from hers "you are not going, I need you to stay here with Chase"

"What about what I need? I need this to be over Jack, whatever that takes. I can't just sit here waiting dutifully for you to sort this out for me. At least let me help."

Chloe's eyes were pleading with him. Jack blinked then turned his head away from her.

"No".

"Damn you" she said, tears of frustration stinging her eyes. She shoved at his chest in an effort to get away from him, unable to be close to him at that moment.

Jack stood there unmoving, allowing Chloe to take her frustration out on him. Eventually he deflected the repeated blows to his chest by taking hold of her wrists and pulling her back against him.

"I will not put you at risk again Chloe" he said simply.

"I'm already at risk you idiot, nothing you do will change that until we get to the bottom of this and whatever you do it'll be quicker and more effective if we do it together."

"Dammit Chloe . . . . ." he sighed in frustration, "I can't lose you again".

"I am not yours to lose" Chloe said harshly before extracting herself from his arms.

Jack felt shock ripple through him, her words as effective as a slap in the face. He watched her retreating into the bedroom and felt that whatever he did he would not win; a feeling very familiar to Jack Bauer.

000000

He stepped out of the shower, dried himself off and got dressed. He was meeting Logan in a couple of hours but wanted to leave before Chloe woke. He couldn't face another confrontation with her this morning.

"Morning" Chase said as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hey" Jack responded looking around warily for Chloe.

"Is Chloe still asleep?" he asked, pouring himself some juice.

"Dunno" Chase said, sipping his coffee and eying Jack with a frown, "you tell me."

"What are you talking about?" Jack growled.

"Chloe didn't come back to bed . . . . . oh shit!" Chase jumped from his seat, looking around frantically as though Chloe would appear from some hidden place.

"Where is she Chase?" Jack asked, his expression fearful.

"She's not here" the younger man said.

"Dammit, she's gone to see Logan" Jack bit out, grabbing his gun and his car keys.

Chase followed Jack out to the car, neither of them talking but both terrified about what might happen to her.

00000

Chloe lurked on the periphery of the retreat. She'd already evaded two sets of Secret Service agents and was in the process of setting up her laptop and hacking into their security logs. She'd managed to remotely track satellite activity using DoD banwidth and had downloaded a grid of the complex to her PDA.

She spared a moment to think about Jack and Chase as she checked her watch. They would have discovered her missing by now and would be on their way. She felt a momentary pang of guilt but comforted herself in the knowledge that she wasn't about to take any unnecessary risks. She was banking on Jack being unable to refuse her request to meet with Logan if she was here anyway. She sat in her hiding spot, deciding to wait it out. She knew they would find her.

She'd been there for about ten minutes when a movement to her right caught her eye. She pulled the 9 mm from the waistband of her jeans and moved back a little to get a clearer view, although she suspected it was either Jack or Chase she wasn't about to take any chances.

She peered through an opening in the trees to get a clearer view but all she saw was a pair of booted feet only a few steps away from her. She waited for the man to move away and as he did she frowned to herself, realising that he was neither Chase nor Jack. Just then she heard him whisper through his comm. unit and his words chilled her to the bone.

"I can't see her Papazian, but she has to be here somewhere".

Just then Chloe felt her heart jump into her throat as she was grabbed from behind, a hand clamped across her mouth and an arm lodged around her middle, thwarting any attempt she might make to break free.

"Don't. Move" came the menacing voice in her ear.


	9. Chapter 9

Her blood was rushing through her ears, drowning out the whispered words of her captor. Chloe O'Brian was in the grip of panic, she didn't know what to do. She caught a glimpse of the man talking on his comm. unit through the clearing and registered that he was no longer alone. She saw the taller man creep up behind him, neutralising him effectively with a head lock that temporarily cut off his breathing, forcing him into unconsciousness.

At the same time as she realised his attacker was Chase she registered that Jack was the owner of the voice whispering in her ear. She sagged back against him in relief only then noticing the tears of panic that were coursing down her cheeks.

"It's okay Chloe, its Jack" he said for the third time, but this was the first time she'd heard him.

He knew that his actions had contributed to her panic but he hadn't had a choice. He hadn't wanted her to inadvertently alert the man to their presence. He sank to the ground, taking her with him; cradling her against him and turning her so she could see for herself it was him. Her eyes were wide and her breathing was rapid and shallow. He clamped his hands either side of her head, holding her gaze so she had to look at him and know who he was. From his own experience in captivity he understood how she was feeling, understood the fear that she would end up back there, away from everything important and familiar, surrounded only by pain and fear.

She closed her eyes against the tears still streaming down her face.

"Look at me!" he demanded. Her eyes snapped open in response.

"Breathe Chloe, take some deep breaths. You're fine, it's me. Chase is through there" he said, nodding his head in the direction the younger man had gone in. "You're safe, nothing is going to happen to you."

He watched as her breathing normalised and her eyes cleared the fog of fear that had been clouding her vision and perception. She sighed. Then she punched him in the arm.

"What the hell were you doing creeping up on me like that you asshole" she growled, glaring at him as only Chloe could.

He allowed himself a small smile at the return of the Chloe he knew, but then he felt his own anger take over.

"What the hell was I doing Chloe?" he asked, his grip tightening on her. "You're the one who has someone after her, trying to kill her and what do you do? You just walk out of the apartment and go on a one woman crusade to speak to another man who could well be involved in this. In case it hadn't escaped your notice Chloe you were key to bringing down Logan, you are not going to be his favourite person right now".

They both turned as they saw Chase walk through the clearing.

"Sorry to break up this little reunion but just wondering if you want to know who this guy is" Chase said sarcastically. He turned to Chloe who had by now extricated herself from Jack's grip.

"Hey darlin', you okay?" he asked, rubbing his palm against her upper back.

Chloe sighed and nodded. "See?" she said to Jack, "that's how to greet me, not your methods of manhandling". She finished with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh for god's sake" Jack bit out, clambering to his feet and dusting himself off. He turned to Chase.

"What have you got?" he asked the younger man.

"His name is James Hunter, he's a Secret Service agent" Chase said passing Jack the agent's ID.

"Dammit" Jack said in frustration, "I know him".

"You do?" Chloe asked, "What does that mean?" She screwed her face in confusion.

"It means this just got a whole lot more complicated" Jack said, "Have you secured him?" he asked turning to Chase.

"Of course".

"Right, let's get this over with and go see Logan". He caught the satisfied smirk that came to Chloe's face and took a half threatening step towards her.

"You," he said, his voice low "you are not leaving my side. Understood?" She rolled her eyes.

"Understood?" he barked, his anger with her clear.

"Understood" she said, her voice trembling slightly.

He stood staring at her for a moment before blinking and dropping his gaze as Chase told them to hurry.

They walked down the embankment to where their car was hidden from view. Just as they approached the vehicle, Chase slightly ahead Chloe pulled back, tugging on Jack's sleeve.

"Sorry" she said quietly so only he would hear her.

He stopped in his tracks and looked at her, his expression softening for a moment.

"Okay" he said, reaching up and tucking her hair behind her ear, his thumb gently grazing the curve of her cheekbone.

Chase was busy extracting equipment from the back of the SUV. He turned to Jack. "Let me know when you're ready for me" he said turning to walk back towards the clearing.

"You're not coming with us?" Chloe asked.

"No" he said with a grimace, "I'm going back up there to see what our friend has to say for himself."

Chloe nodded in understanding, not envying the man who was going to be on the receiving end of Chase's interrogation techniques.

00000

"Are they going to let us through?" Chloe asked as they approached the gates of the retreat.

"I called ahead and requested clearance" Jack said simply.

"They gave it to you?" Chloe asked in surprise.

"Yes, apparently Logan is looking forward to meeting you" Jack said, frowning.

"How come?"

"Apparently he was impressed by your determination. He called you gutsy when he realised you were the Chloe who helped to bring him down."

"How did he know my name?"

"He must have heard me use it when I was interrogating him; I called you a couple of times remember?"

"Oh" she said quietly.

"It's going to be fine Chloe" Jack said, squeezing her arm gently as they got out of the car.

00000

"It's good to see you again Jack" Logan said.

Chloe could tell by Jack's expression that the feeling wasn't mutual, but then again it wouldn't take a genius to work that one out.

"So, this must be the little lady who helped you plot against me" he added, looking at Chloe with open interest.

"I am neither 'little' nor a 'lady'" Chloe quipped bitingly, to which Logan laughed; a deep, rounded laugh that lit up his whole face. Chloe glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest in a defensive move.

"Well I'm glad to hear it, Martha always said she'd much rather be referred to as a woman than a lady. She used to say it would be much better to be known as the 'First Woman'" he added conversationally.

"Let's just get on with this shall we?" Jack asked, resting his hand on Chloe's arm as he saw her annoyance increase at Logan's banter.

"Certainly, follow me" Logan said, leading them into a comfortable sitting room. He gestured for them to sit on the couch while he took the leather arm chair opposite.

"Do you know where Miles Papazian is?" Jack asked, cutting to the chase.

"I've never even met him" Logan said, his expression open.

"I didn't ask if you've met him, I asked if you know where he is" Jack growled.

"No, I do not" Logan responded, "Look, I understand your frustration Jack, but I really don't think I can help you."

"The last time I saw Papazian, he told me you had offered him a position at the White House" Jack said.

"In case it escaped your notice, I was no longer at the White House after that day" Logan bit out, his previously cool demeanour slipping slightly.

Chloe felt Jack tense beside her so she calmly reached her hand to his back, her fingers moving slowly across his flesh in an effort to calm him.

"So" she said looking at Logan, "you say you've never met him but he seems to be doing all of this in support of you. Wouldn't you say that's a little strange _Mr_ Logan" she emphasised the Mr as opposed to President.

"Ms O'Brian, there are many people who remain loyal to me, some of my most staunch supporters I haven't even met. So no, it doesn't seem remotely strange to me" Logan said calmly.

"Do you know anything about the bombing at CTU?" Jack asked, his eyes cold.

"No, I do not" Logan responded.

"I don't believe you" Jack bit out, standing from the couch and moving threateningly towards Logan.

"Jack" Chloe said, a note of caution in her voice.

Just then they heard a commotion outside, there was a sound of voices and running footsteps. As the door burst open, Jack drew his weapon only to stand there in surprise as he was face to face with James Heller and two Secret Service agents.

"Put your weapon down Jack" Heller said authoritatively.

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked.

"I've come to stop this" Heller responded, "It won't do any good, if you want to go after Papazian then fine, but I can't stand by and let you do this."

"What are you talking about?" Jack growled.

"He's talking about this Jack" Logan said chillingly.

Jack turned to find the former President of the United States aiming a gun at his head. The two Secret Service agents drew their weapons but looked uncertainly at Heller as though they didn't feel able to aim at the person they had spent years being trained to protect. Heller gestured that they lower their weapons.

"Charles, don't do this" he said calmly, "it doesn't have to end like this".

"For me it has already ended Jim" Logan bit out harshly, "I was trying to protect my country; trying to do the best thing for the people that I was serving. It was one thing having me locked up here for the rest of my life but to allow those people who had interfered with the plan to secure our future go free was another matter entirely."

Logan had a small smile on his face, one that reflected the state of his mind; a soulless look that ensured his eyes remained flat and his hand steady. His finger slowly squeezed the trigger of the gun that was still aimed at Jack, neither Heller nor the agents moved, still unable to comprehend what would have to be done to stop him.

Jack closed his eyes as he faced certain death, his final thought for Chloe who he knew was standing behind him, her eyes locked onto him. He heard the shot ring out, followed by the thud of a body hitting the floor. His eyes snapped open as he realised the bullet had not penetrated his own flesh. He looked at the agents standing to his left but they were looking behind him, their weapons again raised.

Jack turned around quickly and was greeted by the sight of Chloe O'Brian standing with a 9mm aimed at where Charles Logan had stood a moment before, her hand was steady but tears were falling freely down her face.


	10. Chapter 10

Chloe stood rooted to the spot. Shit! She'd just shot a former president. Did that constitute a criminal or federal offence? Maybe she'd go to prison. At least she'd be going for a good reason. At least Jack was alive. He may be staring at her as though she had two heads but he was alive. She heard him shouting.

"Lower your weapons. Now!" he ordered.

Jack was just staring at Chloe. He couldn't take his eyes off her. The agents lowered their weapons and he moved towards Chloe, faltering momentarily at the words that came from James Heller behind him.

"He's dead" he said simply, rocking back on his heels and covering his face in his hands.

Chloe saw Jack approaching her slowly, his hand held out towards her.

"Give me the gun Chloe" he said gently.

It was only then she realised she was still holding it, aimed at the spot where Logan had been standing only a minute before. Her hand started to tremble but she didn't seem able to let go, her fingers clamped firmly around the weapon.

"Chloe, give me the gun" he repeated slowly.

She gripped her bottom lip between her teeth in an effort to bite back the sob that was threatening to escape. Her eyes were wide as she stared ahead.

The next thing she knew the gun was being knocked out of her hand, the force of Jack's painless blow succeeding where his words had failed to penetrate her mind. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into his chest, holding her tight against him and whispering reassuringly in her ear.

"It's okay Chloe, everything's okay".

Her breath came in shuddering jolts in her effort to control her emotions. She refused to give in, not now. She pulled back from him suddenly.

"I'm fine" she said, but they both knew she was lying.

He stared at her calmly for a moment before speaking. "I know" he said simply, nodding in understanding before turning away from her.

"We need to assemble a team of our most trusted agents" Heller was saying to the two men with him, "we cannot afford for this to get out into the public arena. Call Thomson and Davies and ask them to head up the operation. We need to create a smokescreen."

"What are you talking about?" Jack growled, frowning in confusion.

"Jack" Heller said, "We cannot let this get out. We have to create a scenario that is believable."

"What do you mean we can't let this get out?" Jack demanded. "You cannot cover this up. No-one has done anything wrong" he growled in frustration, "Chloe has done nothing wrong" he added more softly.

"Jack, if this gets out it will be devastating to our constitution. Chloe will not be implicated in this. As far as I am concerned she wasn't even here" he glanced at Chloe then back at Jack. "Neither were you" he added.

"Dammit!" Jack shouted, "This man should never have been president and he should have faced justice after he murdered David Palmer then none of this would have happened."

"Jack, I understand how you feel" Heller said, his voice calm. "You're right; he should never have been president. But he was. And this cannot get out. Imagine the ramifications if the public found out about this. Yes, he murdered Palmer, he also murdered others. Many, many others."

"This is just so damn wrong" Jack uttered in frustration, dragging his fingers through his hair.

"I know" Heller said, nodding with understanding, "but it's over now. Nothing can be gained from this".

"I want Chloe's name cleared" Jack said softly, his tone failing to hide his anger.

"It will be" Heller reassured him.

Jack turned back to Chloe who by now was sitting on the edge of the couch, staring off into the distance. He moved towards her and knelt down in front of her, his hand reaching to stroke her arm gently.

"Hey" he said, trying to get her to focus on him, "let's go and get some air".

Chloe nodded and stood up, slightly unsteadily. Jack pulled her into his side and they walked out of the room, leaving behind them the chaos as two more agents entered the room.

The air was warm with a gentle breeze but Chloe felt as though a weight was sitting on her chest, restricting her breathing. She tried to calm her racing heart but all it did was continue to jolt in her chest and make her light headed.

"Take a deep breath Chlo'" Jack said, taking her hand and leading her to a shaded seating area in the grounds of the retreat.

She didn't resist as Jack helped her to sit, gently pushing her head down towards her knees. She took a rasping breath, then another. She felt her heart rate slow as her breathing became deeper and steadier. She sat still, her head still bent as Jack stroked a calming hand over the back of her neck.

"It's okay Chloe, it wasn't your fault" he said soothingly, "if you hadn't killed him he . . . ." he didn't finish the sentence, he didn't have to.

She looked up at him then, blinking against the bright sunlight and focusing on his face.

"I thought he was going to kill you" she said simply.

"Me too" he nodded. "Thank you."

"They weren't going to stop him" she said, biting back the tears.

"I know" he said, closing his eyes briefly, "its okay"

"No it isn't" she said angrily, "you don't deserve that. You deserve so much more than this".

He sighed deeply. "It doesn't matter Chloe, it's over now".

"It does matter, it all matters Jack. You have done so much for this country and that's how they repay you . . . . It's just wrong".

He shrugged in response, saying nothing.

Chloe looked up at him, her eyes full of sorrow. "Why do you do it?" she asked softly.

"Why do you?" he countered, his eyes soft and searching.

"To keep you company?" she suggested uncertainly.

His mouth twitched in an upward half smile.

"Maybe it's time to . . ."

His words were cut off at the sound of the voice behind him.

"Jack?"

He turned quickly, standing upright and facing Audrey Raines. "Audrey" he said with a small nod.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice low.

"Logan tried to kill me. Chloe shot him" he said simply.

"Oh god. This is just so . . . . ." Audrey fought for the right words but couldn't find them.

"Why are you here?" Jack asked.

"My father sent for me" she said, with a twisted smile.

Jack nodded in understanding, his hand resting on Chloe's shoulder when she would have gotten up and walked away. The small movement drew Audrey's gaze and she looked at Chloe.

"I'm sorry" she said, "for yesterday and, well for everything that happened to you."

Chloe was surprised, she hadn't expected an apology. She attempted to smile but she knew it was a weak effort.

"Okay" Audrey said slowly, "well I need to go and help my father. We'll sort this out Chloe" she said, an unspoken promise to the other woman. Then she turned and walked away.

Jack stood staring after her for a moment. Chloe sighed, guilt washing over her.

"I'm sorry" she whispered.

"For what?" Jack asked, turning back to her.

"For ruining things for you and Audrey"

"You didn't, they were already ruined."

They looked at each other, both absorbing the enormity of the events of the past couple of hours. Before either could say anything more they were interrupted by Jack's cell phone.

"Bauer"

Chloe saw him frown slightly. "Okay Chase, as soon as we're done here we'll catch up with you."

Chloe sighed, the realisation that this was far from over hitting her. Whatever had happened to Logan, Miles was still out there and now had even more reason to want revenge.

"Chase, its fine. I'll keep Chloe with me, we won't let anything happen to her."

Chloe watched him snap shut the phone then close his eyes briefly before focusing again on her.

"Chase is following up a lead on Papazian. I told him we'd meet him when we're done here."

"Okay" Chloe said, getting up from her seat. "What do we need to do?"

As she would have walked past him Jack took hold of her arm gently and pulled her back towards him.

She stared at his chest, suddenly unable to look at him. His hands reached for her and gently cupped her face, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"When all this is over Chloe we need to talk" he said gently.

She nodded. "I know".

Jack pulled her closer to him for a moment, his face buried in the side of her neck. Chloe stiffened when she felt his lips brush her skin, her heart rate jumping at his touch. Just as she would have pulled away from him his lips trailed across her jaw line then reached her mouth, hesitating briefly.

Chloe heard him groan softly then his mouth captured hers in a kiss that was more than that of a friend. His lips moulded to hers, his teeth grazing her bottom lip gently until she opened her mouth to him.

Chloe sighed and leaned into him, letting herself be lost in his assault on her senses. Her arms reached up to twist around his neck as his left hand moved to the small of her back, pulling her further against him.

Chloe couldn't believe that this was happening; oh she'd known that something had changed between them but after everything that had happened she still couldn't believe it. Jack finally pulled back from her and she blinked up at him at a loss for words.

"Come on" he said simply, taking hold of her hand. "Let's go and finish this".

She nodded, allowing herself a moment to believe that it finally could be over. She fell into step beside him and walked back into the house where there were now half a dozen agents working on creating a believable scenario that would explain the death of a former President.

Both Jack and Chloe hesitated in the doorway at the sight in front of them.

"Agent Bauer" a female voice called behind them.

They both turned and were surprised to see Martha Logan standing there.


End file.
